i would be carefull wat u say on here as u might get some stroppy replies i no from experiance !!!! i have a staff and she a lovely girl i wouldn have any other breed , i think it all depends on how u raise a dog sbt or not they are portrade as a hard man dog 2 have but ther not really most are very gentle and make great pets , hope u dont get 2 many harsh replies

I know the staffy was originally bred as a fighting dog - but dog fighting has been illegal in the UK and USA since the 1830s, and according to the histories I have read, the law has been reasonably well enforced for almost 100 years. British Bulldogs were bullfighting dogs in the 1830s, and look how those have changed.

I have been told by those that know both breeds that staffies tend to have fewer dog aggression issues than American Pit Bulls, also bred for fighting, but probably more widely and recently used for it. Let's hope the breed can be kept going in that direction (towards a good tough pet and away from the fighting dog).

Personally, I observe the same rules with strange staffies as with any other dog - I ask if my dog can say hello from a safe distance first, and never let her run up to a dog that is on the lead. Greyhounds also attracts a certain amount of breed prejudice - so I try to make a point of not prejudging other dogs.

My sister has a very dog agressive staffy, his dog argression is not her fault he was a rescue and his past is unknown. She is very careful with him and NEVER lets him of the lead in public or around any other dog, crossing the road if another dog comes along and generally doing her best to walk him when there is less dogs around.
Anyone who is not this careful with a dog agressive dog and allows confrontations with other dogs obviously are not very responsible owners
, so it would be no suprise if they had not socialised their dogs properly hence why they are dog agressive in the first place.
I think each individual dog should be judged on their own merits, and that any dog can has the potential to be dog agressive with the wrong owner.

I would just like to say that with humans my sisters staffie is the most adoreable softy and I love him to bits!!!!
Also my friends mum had a staffy and the most argression i every saw/experienced from her was her waking me up by hitting me on the head with her toy cause she wanted to play!!!!!

i know of a staff who has a bad rep,hes attacked almost every dog in the neighbourhood,we all keep our dogs away from him have to can afford for the dogs to get into a fight. we all keep our dog on a lead and whats does this stsffs owner do,lets her dog wander around off the lead. i dont blame the dog its the owners,well it is in his case.
saying that ive been attacked by a yorkie b4 lady said hes just playing,but the dog was snarling and hanging off my jeans,wouldnt let go darn dog ruined my jeans

I think before anyone gets any breed of dog they should look into that breed's history and see what their original purpose was.

Staffies were fighting dogs so, to some degree, will always be more likely to be dog agressive. This is not true of every single Staffie and there will be many dog-friendly ones. This said, owners of Staffs should be aware of the make-up of their dog and be prepared to socialise and train their dog appropriately, and then if the fighting instinct is still very strong in their particular dog, that owner should be responsible about it and keep the dog on a lead and muzzled if necessary.

I own a Border Collie and am more than aware of their strong working background and inherent instinct to round up "flock" - whether that actually be sheep, cattle, ducks, or next door's cat, children or cars! I socialise and train bearing this background in mind.

I also own a German Shepherd - bred to move and protect flocks of sheep on the hillsides of Germany, and so I am aware that my dog will be likely to have protective instincts inbred into her. As she is not a guard dog, but a companion, I do not want the protective instincts to be taken too far, so she was trained and socialised with that in mind.

What I am trying to say is don't bury your head in the sand, no matter what breed you own, read up on its background, why it was in existence in the first place and learn to understand why your particular breed acts in a certain way. This will in turn help you train and socialise your dog correctly and utilise its instincts in an appropriate manner, or if the instincts are strong and may prove a danger to people or other dogs/animals, then take responsibility and keep your dog under close control.

Hope I haven't offended anyone.

Hi all , i must say this thread has made interesting reading , and i will admit that where i am most of but not all of the staffies are a bit dodgy which i think you can sometimes put down to who owns / trains them , but i take my hat off to you kazz (no im not a skinhead)for really knowing your breed warts and all and being honest enough to admit that you have to watch them , with other dogs,mind you i must say that im watchful of all dogs we meet untill i know that dog , so i just really wanted to say well done .

Thank you Olly, I appreciate your words.

Happy christmas Karen

It's great to see so many Stafford owners, i have just tried to reply in the debates section on the thread S.B.T. and i'm not allowed yet So if i'm allowed i will add my post here. The Staffordshire Bull Terrier is given a bad reputation by 2 kinds of people, those people are...no 1)People who own the breed to boost ego's and to make themselves look tougher by having a Stafford on the end of a lead. In my opinion they do this because they feel they are missing something from their own prsonas, by this i mean they are small minded people who maybe feel they deserve more respect than they are given and think that by having a Stafford this will help. You will find that people who think it's clever to train their dog to attack other dogs, cats...etc..fall into this bracket, my advice would be to these kind of people who need a specific breed of dog to bost their own image, go and join your local gym and take up boxing or some kind of martial arts. Not oly will this help self confidence it will teach them self discipline, and if none of that works there will aways be someone in the said gym to bring you down a peg or two.

no..2) These are the people who wish to keep the reputation of the Stafford in the past, we are all aware of the Staffords history and what they "used" to be bred for. The fact is now reputable owners and breeders are doing all they can to breed and own well socialised Staffords and make them as dog friendly as possible. Making them friendly with peole has never been an issue due to the fact that when they were bred to be fighting dogs, they had to be human friendly because they wouldn't have been allowed to bite the hand that was pulling them apart, or holding them baiting them before a fight. For those of you who dont know the Stafford is nicknamed the "NANNY DOG" This is because of the dogs nature around children and was often sat in the pram with the owners children before and after a fight, regardless of injury and more often than not would have needed to be carried or pushed home due to injury. With the right upbringing and the right socialisation the Stafford is in my opinion the best breed of dog there is, they are Loyal, affectionate, loving, and most of all will become your chilren/s BEST friend. There are people who have put a lot of time and effort into trying to breed well balanced Staffords and educate people on the breed, unfortunatly the breed has become the breed of the moment and more unfortunatly there are too many idiots who manage to get their hands on them Please dont be put off by the breed because of one or two bad experiences and try to remember that the owner is responsible and not the individual dog. There are far too many people (and i speak from personal experience) Who will find it all too funny that their little jack russell has come up to you and your Stafford and barked and gone for him/her. I have even had people say to me after their dog has gone for mine, and i quote " He doesn't care he will have a go at anything, EVEN A STAFF) Then they proceed to laugh like it is amusing and their little dog has just grown a pair of b****x. It would be a whole different story if that little dog had gone for my dog and my dog had taken offence to him I would have been the one with the dangerous dog It happens all too often with Staffordshire Bull Terriers, people will let their dogs come running the length of the local park to get to tour dog just because they THINK their dog is friendly. In my opinion other owners of all breeds need to be more responsible and remember that not all dogs like to be jumped on (even if it is by a friendly dog)

I'm sorry for the rant and hope it was ok to post this here, i didn't mean to hijack a thread

Your life will never be complete until you have owned a Staffordshire Bull Terrier.

That's really good Solidstaffs - you've hit the nail right on the head - well done

well done SS...too true!